Advani praises Harsh Vardhan for pulse polio campaign

New Delhi: Senior BJP leader Lal Krishna Advani on Friday heaped praise on his party's Delhi chief ministerial candidate Harsh Vardhan - around whom the main opposition has built its poll campaign - for running a successful pulse polio campaign in 1994 when he was Health Minister of the state.

Advani also quotes Microsoft founder Bill Gates who has praised Vardhan, a doctor by profession, for his achievement.

He later wrote the foreword of a book written by Vardhan on the issue.

"When in 2004, Vardhan wrote this book titled, ‘A Tale of Two Drops' he had asked me to write a foreword for the book. The first two paragraphs of the three-page foreword I wrote for him would highlight why I strongly commended to the party that he be named the BJP's Chief Ministerial candidate," he said.

BJP has centered its campaign in the on-going Delhi elections around Vardhan, who figures in all party hoardings, banners and is mentioned by senior leaders, including Narendra Modi, Arun Jaitley and Nitin Gadkari, in BJP's advertisements on radio.

In his blog, Advani quotes Gates who hailed India for fully funding its own anti-polio plan, saying this is ‘a ringing statement of commitment and self-confidence’.

"Yes, India faces challenges in many areas that are well-documented in the media. But in its fight against polio, India has shown the world that when its people set an ambitious goal, mobilize the country, and measure the impact, India’s promise is endless," Gates added.

Advani also recalled that in 2001 Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had referred to Vardhan as 'Swasthya Vardhan' (health giver). Former PM IK Gujral had described Vardhan as the best-ever Health Minister of Delhi.